related," he said. Under the U.S. "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy, Cubans who are interdicted at sea are routinely taken back to Cuba, while those who manage to set foot on land are allowed to stay. McDonald said 801 Cubans had landed in Florida since the start of the federal fiscal year on Oct. 1. The U.S. Coast Guard has picked up 2,866 Cubans at sea in 2005, nearly twice as many as last year and the highest number since 1994, when more than 37,000 were intercepted in a major exodus from the island. Only Dominicans have taken to sea in greater numbers in the Caribbean region -- 4,388 as of Thursday, nearly matching last year's total of 4,568. Fewer Haitians have attempted the journey this year -- 1,828 have been intercepted compared with 3,078 last year, according to Coast Guard statistics. --SP 23 51 Local Time 20 51 GMT
